A federal jury’s conviction and a subsequent prison sentence have put a spotlight on an under‑reported corner of the software licensing ecosystem: the market for genuine Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity (COA) labels and the ease with which those labels — when separated from the hardware or...
A federal jury’s conviction and a subsequent 22‑month prison sentence for a Florida software reseller has thrown a spotlight on a long‑running and under‑reported weakness in the Windows and Office supply chain: genuine Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity (COA) labels, when separated from their...
activation fraud
coa labels
federal prosecution
graymarket
grey market
it security
microsoft activation
microsoft coa
software licensing
supply chain security
A time-limited Black Friday promotion aimed at Spanish buyers is again shining a spotlight on third‑party key marketplaces: GvGMall is advertising steep discounts on Windows and Office OEM keys — including a Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 key promoted at €11.60 when the checkout coupon GVGMM is...
Godeal24’s Back‑to‑School promotion promising a “lifetime” license for Microsoft Office 2021 Pro for €31.25 (and steep discounts on Windows 11 Pro or bundled Windows + Office packages) landed on several aggregator sites as a time‑sensitive deal aimed at students and budget‑conscious users — but...